Recently, John Stephen has been very public and very vocal. It is obvious he is considering a run for public office - again. But his outlandish claims and partisan attacks serve as a quick reminder as to why so many were thankful when he left state government and why voters within his own party have time and again rejected him at the polls.
During his years of government service, many considered John Stephen the most untrustworthy person in state government. You could never trust whether he was giving you true information or trying to advance his own narrow personal agenda. Unfortunately, most of the time it was the latter.
John Stephen was a disaster as Health and Human Services commissioner, doing nothing to better deliver services or lower his department's cost structure and bottom line. Instead, he added layers of bureaucracy and made the organization top heavy. HHS is going through a major reorganization right now as a result. In fact, as Commissioner of Health and Human Services, he asked for $428 million - or 13 percent increase - in his budget. He claimed those were just his "maintenance" costs.
As it was with his tenure at HHS, Stephen is not only misguided in his attacks on state Democratic leaders, he is also just plain wrong. He offers nothing more than tired partisan rhetoric and again fails to offer any constructive, innovative or realistic ideas to promote meaningful reform or economic development.
Contrast that to the work of Gov. John Lynch and Democrats in the legislature. Over the last 18 months, our state has been battered by the worst recession since the Great Depression. As a result, families and businesses have struggled as the unemployment rate has steadily increased.
Yet, look around. New Hampshire's unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the region, not to mention the entire country. Economists point out that New Hampshire has weathered this recession better than the surrounding New England states and will likely lead the region in recovery.
Gov. Lynch and the Democrats cut state spending in this current budget, and balanced it without major new taxes - despite the fact that baseline revenues were projected to be at 2004 levels and demands for services were growing.
Gov. Lynch and the Democrats in the Legislature passed a research-and-development tax credit to help nurture innovative new businesses. They created a Job Training Fund that is helping thousands of workers and companies across the state. They lowered the insurance premium tax to bring new businesses and jobs to New Hampshire.
Under Governor Lynch and the Democrats, New Hampshire has worked to help address the high cost of health care for small businesses. New Hampshire HealthFirst, which launched Oct. 1st, is offering small New Hampshire businesses a more affordable health insurance option. It is a comprehensive health plan that is on average 15 to percent less expensive than comparable plans.
Gov. Lynch and the Democratic legislature have worked to help businesses thrive and grow in New Hampshire, have continued to foster a business friendly environment that will help attract new companies and emerging industries.
But for some reason John Stephen thinks Gov. Lynch and the Democrats aren't focused on economic growth. How could that be when the evidence proves the contrary?
What Stephen and Republicans seem to ignore is that this country is reeling from a recession that began under the leadership of a Republican president and a Republican Congress. They like to pretend it's not happening and blame Democrats for these difficult financial times. Stephen and his cronies are taking that same bury-your-head-in-the-sand mentality that got us into this mess in the first place.
Of course, it would be too much to ask of him to be able to recognize real leadership.
Peter Burling of Cornish is a former state senator and current Democratic National Committeeman.
(Posted by Derek Richer, Press Secretary of the New Hampshire Democratic Party)
